Shuttle-box-operating mechanism for looms.



- G. M.- FOSTER. SHUTTLE BOX OPERATING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. 'APPLIOATIONFILED MAR.18, 1908.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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G. M. FOSTER. SHUTTLE BOX OPERATING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATIONFILED MAR. 18, 1908.

918,430. Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFTCE.

GEORGE M. FOSTER, 0F MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOp WILLIAM PARKER STE-AW, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented April 13, 1909.

Application filed March 18, 1908. Serial No. 421,849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. F os'rnn, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Manchester, county of l-lillsboro, State of NewHampshire, have invented an Improvement in Shuttle-Box-DperatingMechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like numerals on thedrawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to looms provided withshifting shuttle-boxes andwherein two or more shuttles are used, and it has for its object theproduction of improved mechanism for operating the shuttle-box to bringa particular one of the various cells thereof into active position withrelation to the raceplate of the lay. The shuttle-boxes are mounted on alilting rod, and the longitudinal movement of such rod, imparted by theso-called box-motion, raises and lowers the boxes to bring the desiredcell into active osition, the box-motion including a leverike member ortransmitter which is mounted to rock about a variable or shiftingfulcrum. By shifting the fulcrum in various ways the amount/oilongitudinal movement imparted to the lifting rod is regulated, in orderto move the shuttle-box far enough to bring the desired; shuttle intooperation.

My present invention has for its object the production of novelmechanism for ellecting the variable movement of the lifting rod, thevarious novel features 01' the invention being fully described in thesubjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the followingclaims. I

Figure'l is a side elevation of a sufficient ortion of a .drop orshifting shuttle-box oom, with one embodiment of my present inventionapplied thereto, the shuttle-box being shown in section; Fig. 2 is anenlar ed rear elevation 01' the pattern-contro led meanswhich 'overns ordetermines the position of the in crum upon or about which rocks thetransmitter, the latter being operatively connected with the liftingrod; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the shifting or movable fulcrum forthe transmitter, and a portion of the mechanism adjacent thereto, thetransmitter being shown in section on the line 33,'Fig. 1, lookingtoward the left; Fig. 4 is-an enlarged sectional detail of the partsmounted on the fulcrum-shifting shaft, such parts being seen inelevation in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the rotatable carrier in whichare mounted the attern-controlled members of the means w rich govern thepositioning of the transmitter i'ulcrum; Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofone of the pattern-controlled members.

Referring to big. 1, the lay 1 has mounted L1')O11 it the shifting ordrop shuttle-box 2, (s iown as having four compartments or cells,)attached to the upper end of the lifting-rod 3 movable longitudinally ina guide 1 carried by the lay-sword 5, all substantially as usual. Atwo-part safety-link 6, 7 is pivotally connected to the lower end of thelilting-rod, the link-members being held together by a spring 8, asusual, and embracing a stud 9 on the lront end of a rocking transmitter10. This transmitter is made as a lever, and it has a central hub 11which receives with an easy fit a sleeve 12 projecting from the face 01'a depending leg 13, the sleeve being mounted on a horizontal stud 14projecting horizontally l'rom a longitudinally apertured head 15slidable on a vertical guide 16 sustained by a bracket 17 on the loomside, Figs. 1. and 3. The transmitter rocks on the stud 1 1 as a fulcrum and such fulcrum is shiitable up and down to vary the throw of thefront end 01 the transmitter.

The lower end of the leg 13 is shaped to constitute an eccentric strap18, split at its lower end, and embracing an eccentric 19 having anelongated hub 20, Fig. 4, rotatably mounted on a shaft 21 parallel toand below the fulcrum stud 14 and rotatably supported in a stand 22. Twosemi-circular gear segments 23 are formed on the hub 20, one laterallyoffset from the other as shown in Figs. 3 and 1, in effect forming twomutilated gears, the one beginning where the other ends, and vice versa,the object 01' said segments being to effect a semi-revolution of theeccentric 19 whenever a patterncontrolled actuating gear, to bedescribed, is brought into operation. Between the hub 20 and the stand22 a gear hub 24 is mounted on the shaft 21 and pinned thereto, as at25, Fig. 4, the gear hub having two semi-circular gear segments 26formed thereon, and arranged similarly to the segments 2 3.

The face of the eccentric 19 nearest the loom side is provided with anextension 27 on which are mounted lour stop or positioning pins 28, soplaced that when the gear segments 23 and 26 are in the position shownin big. 3, or in a position 180 therefrom a positioning arm 29 willsquarely engage two of the studs, the arm having a fixed fulcrum at 30and forced toward tne studs by a strong spring 31. This positioningdevice is of substantially well known construction. A similar group 'ofpins 32 is formed on the enlarged head of a collar 33 fast on the shaft21, said pins cooperating with a second spring-controlled arm 34fulcrumed on the pin 30, the said arm and pins serving to properly position the shaft 21 with the segment gears 26, 26 in the position shown,or 186 therefrom. The collar 33 has fixed upon it a wrist-pin on whichis pivoted the upper end of a link 36, jointed at its lower end to thefront end of a lever 37 having a fixed fulcrum 33, Fig. 1, the two armsof the lever being equal, the rear end of the lever having an adjustableconnection 39 with a link 40. Said link at its upper end is connected bya pivot bolt 41 with the rear end of the transmi'ter, 16, which has alongitudinal slot 42 to receive the bolt, whereby an adjustment isprovided between the link and transmitter.

Vl henever the shaft 21 is given a hal revolution the lever 37 will berocked on its fulcrum 38, to thereby raise or lower the front end of thetransmitter and the con nected lifter-rod 3. The wrist-pin 35 has athrow sufficient to act through the intervering connections upon thetransmitter 10 and swing its front end far enough to shift theshuttle-box 2 from one cell to the next, and if the parts are in theposition shown in Fig. 1 a half-revolution of the shaft 21 by or throughone of the mutilated gears 26 will act to rock the transmitter and raisethe shuttleboX to bring the second compartment or cell into operativeposition. If the third cell is to be operatively positioned, instead ofthe first or top cell, the hub 20 and eccentric 1.9 will be given a halfrevolution from the position shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, through thestrap 18 and leg 13 to raise or shift the fulcrum 14, the transmitterthen swinging about the stud 41 as a center, and the third cell willthereby be brought into proper position with relation to the raceway ofthe lay. To change from the third cell to the bottom cell, the fulcrum14 being in its highest position, but with the lever 37 in the posi tionshown in 1, the shaft 21 will be given a half turn, and the rocking ofthe le ver 37 will draw down the rear end of the transmitter, the latterrocking on the fulcrum stud 14, and the fourth cell will be lifted intooperative position. The change from the second to the fourth cell willbe effected directly by merely shifting the fulcrum 14 from its lowestto its highest posi tion, the transmitter then swinging upward upon thepin 41 as a center, and at the same time rocking upon the moving fulcrum14.

1 Of course reverse movements, that is, from a lower compartment oftheshuttle-box to a 'h her one will be effected in a reverse order, butthe rotation of either the shaft 21 and its attached parts, or of thehub 20 and eccentric 19, will always be in the same direction.

A very compact grouping of the parts is efiected by the constructionthus far described, doing away with separate front and back shafts andvery large mutilated gears.

The pin 30 on which the arms 29 and 33 are pivotally mounted is fixedlysecured to a suitable stand 43 rigidly connected with the loom side,said stand also carrying a rod 43 to which the fixed ends of the springs31 are attached, see Fig. 2.

I will now describe the pattern-controlled means for governing therotative movements of the mechanism which has just been described andwhich determines the position of the fulcrum about which the transmitterrocks.

The shaft 21 and the parts rotatable with or upon it are located closeto the usual camshaft 44 of the loom, in the present embodiment of myinvention, the shaft projecting beyond the loom-side and having mountedupon it a cylindrical carrier 45, having a central hub or partition 46which in practice is fred upon the shaft in any suitable manner, thecarrier wall being slotted from end to end, at 47, Figs. 1 and 5. Withinthe carrier at each side of the partition I mount a pat tern-controlledactuating member, one of such members being shown separately in Fig. 6and comprising a hub 48 annularly grooved at 49 near its outer end andhaving a disk 50 at its inner end provided with a segmental gear 51 on apart 52 of its periphery, the ends of the part 52 being beveled to slideeasily between the longitudinal edges of the slot 47 of the carrier.

The two hubs 48 are slidably mounted on the shaft 44 and are rotatedtherewith by means of the engagement of the parts 52 with the slottedcarrier, the two segmental gears, which may be termed actuators,projecting beyond the surface of the carrier 45 far enough to engagewith the gears 23 and 26 when the latter are properly positioned. Theactuators 51 are long enough to mesh with one of the segment gears 23 or26 and impart one-half a revolution to either the hub 20 or the shaft21, as the case may be, one of the actuators 51 being movedlongitudinally in the carrier 45 to cooperate with one or the other ofthe segment gears 23, while the other actuator is similarly moved tocooperate with one of the segment gears 26, the first mentionedactuator, which is the one in the right-hand end of the carrier viewingFig. 2, rocking the transmitter 10 about the fulcrum 14, while the otheractuator raises and lowers the said fulcrum to rock the transmitterabout the pivot pin 11 as a fulcrum.

A T-shaped stand 53 on a bracket 54 bolted to the loom side hasfulcrumed upon it at 55, Fig. 2,'swinging arms 56, each of which has aroll or other stud 56 to enter one of the grooves 49in the actuator hubs18, the upper ends of the yokes being extended past each other abovetheir pivots 55 and each having a depending lug 57 which is adapted toengage a stop 58 on the stand 53. A rod 59 pivoted on'one arm passesloosely through an car 60 on the'other arm, and an expansion spring 61is coiled around the rod between the ear and a collar 62 on the rod, thespring normally acting to maintain the arms 56 in the position shown inFig. 2. If either arm is rocked to push its connected actuator gear 51inward the spring is compressed, and acts to press the lug 57 of theother arm tightly against the stop 58. The arms are connected by linksor light rods 63 with rocker-arms 64, 64 Fig. 1, cooperating with apatternsurface, shown'as a pattern-chain 65 of ordinary construction,and operated in the usual manner, the pattern-chain acting upon one orthe other rocker-arm 64, or upon both of them, in accordance with theposition which the shuttle-box 2 is to assume.

In the arrangement herein illustrated the rocker-arm 64 governs that oneof the actuators 51 which operates the means for shifting the fulcrum'14 of the transmitter 10, while rocker-arm 64 governs the otheractuator 51 which operates the means for rocking the lever 37 to changethe position of the pivot point f1, as will be clear from the foregoingdescription.

The slotted cylindrical carrier 15 for the actuators provides a strongand eflicient means for effecting positive rotation of the saidactuators while permitting their easy shifting in or out as called forby the controlling pattern surface.

In efiect the transmitter has two fulcra, viz l4: and 41, both of whichare shiftable to vary the throw of the transmitter in accordancewith therequired position of the shifting shuttle-box.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a loom, in combination, a lay having ashifting shuttle-box thereon, box-operating mechanism, including arocking transmitter, two shiftable fulcra about which the transmittercan rock, an intermittingly rotatable shaft, connections between it andoneof said fulcra, to shift the same by rotative movement of the shaft,a member rotatable on and independently of the said shaft, connectionsbetween said member and the other fulcrum, to shift it by rotativemovement of said member 011 the shaft, and continuously rotatingpattern-controlled actuators to effect rotative movement of the shaftand said member, respectively, according to the required position forthe shuttlebox.

2. In a loom, in con'ibination, a lay having a shifting shuttle-boxthereon, box-operating mechanism, including a rocking transmitter, twoshiftable fulcra about which the transmitter can rock, a shaft,mutilated gears fast thereon, and a wrist-pin, connections between thelatter and one of the transmitter fulcra, to shift the latter byrotative movement of the shaft, an eccentric and connected mutilatedgears rotatable on the shaft independently thereof, a connec tionbetween said eccentric and the other fulcrum of the transmitter, toshift said fulcrum, and pattern-controlled actuator gears to cooperatewith the two sets of mutilated gears and thereby shift the fulcra inaccordance with the required position of the shuttie-box.

3. In a loom, in combination, a lay having a shifting shuttle-boxthereon, box-operating mechanism, including a rocking transmitter, twoshiftable fulcra about which the transmitter can rock, a shaft,connections between it and one of said fulcra, to shift the same byrotative movement of the shaft, a member rotatable on the shaft,connections between said member and the other fulcrum, to shift it, acontinuously rotating shaft, a carrier fast thereon, actuator gearsrotated by the carrier and longitudinally movable upon the shaft, tocooperate with and intermittingly rotate the fulcrum-shifting shaft orthe member rotatable thereon, and a pattern-surface to control theoperation of said actuatorgears.

4. The combination, with a shifting shuttlebox, and mechanism to operateit, including a rocking transmitter, and two shiftable fulcra aboutwhich the transmitter can rock, of a rotatable shaft having a wrist-pin,an eccentric loosely mounted on said shaft, a connection between saideccentric and one fulcrum, to shift it, a connection including anauxiliary lever, between the other fulcrum and the wrist-pin, to shiftsuch fulcrum, and pattern-controlled actuating devices to impartrotative movement to the shaft and the eccentric, independently, togovern the throw of the transmitter.

5. The combination, with a shifting shuttle-boX, and mechanism tooperate it, including a rocking transmitter, and two shiftable fulcraabout which the transmitter can rock, of separate instrumentalities toshift said fulcra, each instrumentality'in cluding a revoluble member,said members being coaxial, and one being rotatably mounted on andsupported by the other, coaxial, pattern-controlled actuators tocooperate respectively with said members, and means to rotatecontinuously said actuators.

.6. The combination, with a shifting shuttlQ-dDOX, and mechanism tooperateit, including a rocking transmitter, and two shiftable fulcraabout which the transmitter can rock, .one of said fulcrums being thecenter of the transmitter, and a fixed guide on which said fulcrum isvertically movable, of separate instrumentalities to shift said fulcra,each instrumentality including a revoluble member, provided with amutilated gear, said members being axially alined, a con tinuouslyrotating shaft parallel to the axis of said members, actuator gearsrotatable with and longitudinally movable on the shaft, and patternmechanism to throw the actuator gears into and out of cooperation withthe mutilated gears.

7.. The combination, with a shifting shuttle-box, and mechanism tooperate it, including a rocking transmitter, and two shiftable fulcraabout which the transmitter can rock, of separate instrumentalities toshift said. fulcra, each instrumentality in cluding a revoluble member,provided with a mutilated gear, one of said members being rotatablymounted on the other, a continuously rotating shaft parallel to the axisof said members, a cylindrical, lon 'itudinallyslotted carrier having acentral partition fast on the shaft, disks slidable on the shaft at eachside of the partition, segmental gear on each disk projecting beyond thecarrier and having its base slidable in the slot, whereby the gears arerotated with the shaft, and pattern mechanism to move the gears in andout upon the shaft to cooperate with the mutilated gears and effectrotative movement thereof.

8. The combination, with a shifting shuttle-boX, and mechanism tooperate it, including a rocking transmitter, a vertically movablefulcrum for and at the center of the transmitter, a lever having a fixedpivot, a

ssaeo link pivotally connecting one end of said lever with thetransmitter, to rock the latter about its central fulcrum, theconnection between the link and the transmitter forming a second movablefulcrum therefor, of separate instrumentalities to shift the cen tralfulcrum of the transmitter and to rock said lever and thereby shift thesecond fulcrum of the transmitter, respectively, each instrumentalityincluding a revoluble mem her, and patterncontrolled actuators tocooperate respectively with. said members.

9. The combination, with a shifting shuttle-box, and operating mechanismtherefor, including a rocking transmitter, a fixed vertical guide, acentral fulcrum for the transmitter shiftable up and down on the guide,.a lever having a fixed central pivot parallel to said fulcrum, a linkpivotally connecting one end of said lever with one end of thetransmitter, to rock the latter about its central fulcrum, theconnection between the link and the transmitter forming a secondshiftable fulcrum therefor, of a shaft, connections between it and thelever, to rock the lever and shift the second fulcrum .by'

rotative movement of the shaft, a member rotatable on the shaft,connections between it and the central transmitter-fulcrum, to shift itup and down, continuously rotating actuator gears to cooperate with andintermittingly rotate the shaft or the member rotatable thereon, and apattern-surface to control the operation of said actuator gears.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE M. FOSTER.

Witnesses ROBERT L. MANNING, VELMAR PRINCE.

